Crack
by Crafty Lefty
Summary: Come on, hit me again. I dare you.


**One-shot for Swiper's contest in the Revival of Star Fox forum. Thanks for the inspiration.**

Crack. And I bled even more.

Jesus Christ, is he ever going to stop?

I just sat there. Bleeding, breathing, in pain. He's really going to kill me. And over what?

He gripped me by the beak and violently whipped my head to face him.

My eyes were closed. Of fucking course they were closed. Did he think I was going to look at him?

He brought his face up to mine and blew another plume of smoke right in my nostrils. Who the hell still smokes menthols these days?

He shook my head quickly from side to side. What did he think that was going to do?

"You know, I could sit here all day. I really could. Because beating the shit out of you is just a perk."

Was this guy for real? Take these ropes off my feet, and I'd beat him to shit. Untie me from this chair too, and god damn…it's on.

"I really don't know why you protect him still. After all the shit he's done to you? Why would you put up with all this?"

Oh, he's really trying to piss me off now.

"Seriously. He's kicked you off the team how many times?"

He never did that. I left. Every time.

"He obviously doesn't want you around."

He has no idea.

I heard the click and soft hiss of his lighter. This guy was just asking to die.

Another waft of smoke passed by my face.

"Just give him up. You know he'd do the same if he was here."

If he _were_ here. Fucking rube.

"Maybe you just like it. I don't know. But I'm not one to deny someone what they want."

Crack. Jesus Christ. He used the butt of the handle that time.

I turned to the side and coughed up another spat of blood.

"Or maybe you don't." He just laughed.

This guy is seriously asking for it.

I still kept my eyes closed and reverted myself to face forward, towards the ground. I wasn't going to appease him with acknowledgement.

He sat back down in the chair straddling the back of it, moving it about a foot away from me.

He took a long drag of his smoke, blowing it in my face and ashing it on my leg.

God damn I want a cigarette.

"You're a stubborn motherfucker."

Yeah. And?

"I have to say, not may people can sit here with me and not even say a word. Most of them at least cry out or something. I can respect that."

Gee, thanks.

He took another drag.

"Doesn't mean you're still not pissing me the fuck off."

Crack.

He stood up nonchalantly.

"I swear to god I will fucking murder you."

Do it. I dare you.

"You don't get it. I'm not going to stop until I find him and leave the imprint of this gun right in his skull."

I stifled a laugh.

"I don't care who the hell I have to go through to get there. Not you, not any of your little shithead friends, not anyone."

I sighed internally.

"So don't do this to yourself. I know you don't like this. I don't like doing this to you either."

Oh go fuck yourself. You just told me before you enjoy the hell out of this.

"So save us both the grief and just tell me where he is."

Seriously, go fuck yourself.

"But like I said, you're a stubborn motherfucker."

Crack.

"And I don't deal with shit like that."

Really? Because I'm pretty sure you are right now.

He sat back down.

"You get it yet?"

No.

"I'm pissed as all hell. And I'm not stopping until my hands are around Fox McCloud's neck."

Good luck with that.

"You see, I never liked him. In fact, I really fucking hate him. And I tend to be a calm person."

Yeah, I can tell by the way you keep pistol-whipping me.

"So it takes a lot to make me this pissed off. Clearly, you can understand that he did something very, very wrong to me."

Nope.

"And even though I'm a calm person, I'm not one to just lie down and take it. If I'm done wrong, I fuck shit up."

Another billow of smoke went in my face.

"So don't test me, you piece of shit."

Too late.

"As soon as I'm done talking, you're going to tell me where I can find that piece of shit captain of yours."

Oh, just shut up.

"Stubborn…"

Crack.

God damnit.

"Listen. Don't get in the middle of this. You don't have to."

I know. You dragged me into it, asshole.

"So just tell me where Fox is, I'll even drive you to the hospital, and we can forget any of this ever happened. Ok?"

Fuck yourself.

Crack.

"I'm not fucking around!"

I know.

Crack.

"Tell me or I swear to god I'll break your fucking face off!"

Do it.

Crack.

I can feel the warm trickle down the sides of my face.

I want to laugh. He's cracking.

"You have no idea who you're fucking with! I'm not stopping until I piss all over Fox McCloud's cold, shallow grave, and I'm not going to let a little fuck like you get in my way!"

He cocked the gun.

Shit.

"There are plenty of people I can fuck up who know where he is. If you don't tell me in the next five seconds, I swear to god it'll be the last five seconds of your life!"

He's not going to do it.

"Five."

No way.

"Four."

I want to laugh again.

"Three."

He's not slowing down.

"Two."

His voice isn't wavering. Maybe he'll do it.

"One."

Shit.

Crack.

Wait, guns don't make that noise.

Boom.

That's it.

…

I'm not dead. I don't think. I should've felt that.

What the hell happened?

I opened my eyes for the first time in a while and the fluorescent light overhead was blinding.

Still the same room. What's going on?

Once I adjusted to the light, I saw the white wolf who chloroformed me earlier on the floor, bleeding out of his chest.

Did he just kill himself?

I felt someone behind me undoing the ropes. Who the hell is that?

Once they were off, the person stepped in front of me and grabbed both sides of my face.

I looked into the familiar, worried eyes of Fox McCloud.

Wait, what?

"Shit man, are you alright?"

I just stared at him in disbelief.

He scoped out the rest of my face, taking in what he saw.

"Jesus Christ dude, you're really bleeding."

I smiled a bit.

"Let's get the hell out of here. You need to get to a hospital."

Eh, I'm alright.

He slung my arm over his shoulder, taking on most of my weight as we walked out of the room.

"I never thought I'd see that guy again. I'm really sorry you had to get in the middle of this."

That's what friends are for, right?


End file.
